Time to reconsider decision on city's weather sirensWhat cost is the city of Antigo willing to incur in order to save a few thousand bucks?

Thats the question aldermen are facing today, after some in the community complained that they did not receive notification that a tornado was approaching the area Sunday.

The city decommissioned the sirens—which were creaky and showing their age—a few years ago in favor of Everbridge, a warning system that sends out alerts over telephone land lines and cellular text messages. Its high-tech and, in theory, blankets the county instead of relying on audible warnings from sirens that not everyone can hear.

But we received several calls Monday from readers saying the system did not provide the needed notification. And with more and more organizations using cellphones to send out messages about everything from coming events to missing children, fewer and fewer people are glancing at their text messages every time their phones buzz.

And—we know some people may find this hard to believe—not everyone is glued to their cellphones.

When aldermen were debating the issue, officials said the cost to replace the sirens and ensure audible coverage across the MoreHearing Monday to eye licenses for non-motorized boatsThe Wisconsin Fish and Game hearings will be held here and 71 other counties across Wisconsin Monday evening, with the events a mere shadow of earlier sessions.

Fewer people are attending, those who do visit come to check their ballot books and then department without hearing a word or sharing a word during the hearings.

Whether that condition is due to bureaucracy, the scope of the items to be considered or the fast-changing world of electronic can certainly be debated. Administrative rule changes over the years have taken away much of the hearings teeth.

But this year may be different. The list of questions and proposals contain gems far more interesting than demanding certain muskie-catch lengths on selected Vilas County lakes along with other regionalized and technical issues.

Just a glance at the hearing book Thursday brought out a Conservation Congress proposal to license non-motorized boats, including canoes and kayaks, along with a raft of proposals to undo some of the regulatory easing for mines, and ban lead shot and fishing tackle.

We will let the participants decide on the mining and lead issues without comment, but we canMoreTuesday's forum was great start, let's keep conversation flowingTuesday’s Antigo school board forum could have devolved into a case of herding chickens, especially with a fox or two in the henhouse.

It did not.

Over 100 well-meaning and concerned people with varied ideas—along with a few from the perpetually negative side of the aisle—crowded into the media tech room on a blustery evening when it would have been easy to stay home. But instead of the chaos that so often comes with size and opinions, the format divided the large group into smaller, more manageable units for individual presentations, questions and comments.

It was remarkably well-done.

Over the decades, we have gone to thousands of board meetings, read reams of studies, and sat through more forums than we care to consider. Frankly, we were dubious Tuesday’s format would work.

We’re glad we were wrong.

Useful information was gained. And the district now has a solid core of folks who know the ideas and are contributing to the process, free of the filters of outside interest groups prompting specific agendas. Those people, joined by others as the fact-finding and opinion-gathering continues, will prove invaluable.

To those who More'Do-It-Yourself' journalism is scary in this modern world(Editor’s note: The Antigo Daily Journal takes its gatekeeper role very seriously, even more so in an era of “instant news” from the Internet, often from dubious sources. We thought this column by Mary Schmidt, a public relations and marketing consultant and president of Schmidt Communicates, perfectly reflected our concerns. It first appeared in the Aug. 3 edition of The Business News and is reprinted with permission.)

The great thing about the Internet: it is the ultimate democracy. Anyone has access to the “airwaves" and can present their opinions just as I'm doing now in traditional media.

The bad thing about the Internet: how do you know what you're reading is true?

Having gatekeeper journalists report the news consoles to me to a degree because I know trained journalists are playing by the rules. They are confirming sources. They are getting unrelated sources to confirm information before "publishing." They are reporting truth, not rumor. There's an editor checking the copy.

Just to make sure my information is current, I checked with pals who are currently teaching journalism and they still really do teach these things to aspiring reporters MoreClark Palmer takes issue with Journal's 'hurtful' editorialTo the Antigo Journal:

On Friday, June 26, an astounding and deeply hurtful Journal-generated editorial was published on Page 4, claiming that the paper had a "duty" to publish "public discourse". Then, on July 8, I was stunned to discover that the Journal posted their contribution to "public discourse" on the paper's website without posting my original June 24th essay to ADJ, leaving the average visitor to speculate about its contents. As the author of the original opinion-piece, I am duty-bound to confess my sin: I criticized the Unified School District of Antigo(USDA)'s staff and administration, as well as the School Board. The Journal also claims I criticized USDA students and the Antigo community in general, which I vigorously deny. Of course, without re-publishing my original essay, who can tell?

The students are victims of the system, and the community has been misled by its own daily paper, which also claims a century-long "tradition" of promoting "public discourse". Phooey. I lay claim to the truth: I have the facts, all of them. For this I am viciously labelled as a "myopic" "naysayer" acting like a wet blanket on this fine city's "optimism and enthusiasmMore